Section 1: Roaring Skies
by LucilleBeiremie
Summary: A FFXI fanfiction following the lives of young Lucille and Xynari. Lucille knows of the world around her, but has never found her place within it. Xynari has always known where she belongs, but nothing of the world. The story is heavily based off of a roleplay I used to do years ago. Rated M for violence. Come and meet the Clan of Roaring Skies.
1. Lucille

**Author's Note: **This story occurs in an older version of FFXI. There's also a few adjustments I made to the world, to make it feel... less gamey and more real-worldy if that makes sense.

Older version changes:  
Only the first four expansions exist  
Level cap is 75

My changes:  
Class/Job changing is a really big deal, its especially hard to switch to a class where none of your skills transfer.  
I decided to toss support jobs out the window to support the changing your job is difficult thing. (not that people can't learn other skills and use them)

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Chapter 1: Lucille

"Charlie," the young feline-esk woman inquired of her loyal servant as she brushed her layered white hair that was cut to just above the shoulder, "are my robes ready?" He fluttered his way into the corner of her mirror with his little bat wings. His little teddy bear face always made her smile.

"Why of course, kupo!" The moogle gave a mini twirl.

The girl's ice blue eyes sparkled as she looked at herself in the mirror, "This is your big chance Lucille," she had recently been recruited into her first linkshell. It was also her first raid on a beastmen stronghold. What was it called again? Castle Oztroja, that's right. The fortress of the dark feathered, hand and foot taloned, bird beastmen race. She slammed her hands down on the rent-a-room dresser as she gave herself a stern talking to, "Don't you screw this up!" Her moogle watched awkwardly as the motion jiggled her small chest. Nothing got by her, "What are you looking at you pervert?"

"N-nothing." He stammered.

"If you like them so much why don't you take a closer look!" She grabbed him and coddled him to her chest.

"Kupo-po!" She knew moogles weren't really attracted to other races in that sort of way, but it was still hilarious to mess with them. Charlie gulped in air after his release.

She moved to the bed that Charlie had made and laid her clothing down upon. Carefully she slipped on the red-hooded white robes edged with red triangles that showed her proficiency, but not yet mastery, of white magicks.

"I'm sorry I tease you so much, its just so fun. Really though, Charlie, I appreciate everything you do for me." The mithra woman moved to the doors of her room, "See you in San d'Oria." With that her moogle teleported away with his mysterious kupower, and she withdrew herself from the temporary room.

The trade city of Jeuno was bustling as always. Vendors shouting the quality and use of their products, parties assembling for battle experience, and elites marching down the streets en masse to fulfill the most difficult of missions and quests given by Archduke Kam'lanaut himself. She dreamed of the day she would join them. The other seventeen people of the selected linkshell members gathered at the chocobo stables within minutes of each other.

Before they set out, one of the linkshell "officers" with pointed ears towered at the head of the group. "Officer" being a title assigned by the leader to his few linksack holders. They were people who could recruit others besides the leader. Almenont was a highly skilled elvaan paladin, who was soon to be admitted into the ranks of the temple knights of San d'Oria.

"No heroics, anyone. We're not venturing far into the Yagudo castle, our mission is only to retrieve some of the goods stolen on delivery from Windurst, and possibly some pages of a magic tome. Our objective is to safely transport our thief, Aria," he indicated a bare-minimally dressed beautiful hume woman, "To the castle coffers and stave off the beastmen until our goods are retrieved. Now, let's ride."

They sped south, yellow bird-back, on the continent of Mindartia through a desolate looking landscape down to an almost just as bleak mountain range where the castle awaited them. They turned east when the worn white spine of the crag stretched over head. The carefully carved mountain side ahead came into view, and Lucille's tail puffed up. An impressive, short, blue-haired male tarutaru of a black mage by the name of Karu-Manaru rode next to her. She could just see his eyes peering at her under his pointed leather brown hat, "Don't worry, with this many people the Yagudo on the lower floors are a pushover, and I won't let anything get near you." he winked at her.

"Err… thanks, I'll be sure to not let you die" His words did reassure her nerves.

"Much appreciated!" he called back as he pulled ahead.

They strolled into the castle through the front door after the guards were quietly dispatched. Once inside the raiding party split into four groups of three. Lucille, Karu-Manaru, and a bard she had never met went straight for the trick door while the other groups fanned out across the first floor to silently remove its inhabitants. Upon their arrival at the door, the bard lopped off the head of the yagudo stationed there. Shortly after, the entire alliance regrouped at the door. They all stared at the two levers before them, no one wanted to fall down the trapdoor, but they needed to get through. Yu Dalahnia, perfectly fitted into her black and red dancer's casaque, stepped forward. The blonde mithra took a deep breath, then slowly turned the right lever. A click sounded, everyone held their breath, and then the door cracked open. She puffed out her gulp of air. The team filed in, heading directly to the less valuable coffers' and chests' location on the second floor. Few yagudo were encountered on their way; the first was felled by Aria's swift strike to the back of the neck. The next pierced by an arrow from afar, after being struck by a silencing spell, and allowed to fall to the lower floor.

This was when the mission started to get dicey. Aria, immediately took to the encaged treasure, while the members who excelled in close combat spread into defensive positions around her as well as the less than extraordinary weapon users. Everything seemed to be going too well until Aria popped open the first chest. Two returning templars rushed in from the direction they had entered, their feathers ruffled and stained red from the blood of their recent victims. They had been staging their own raid, that's why the middle floors had been so empty. More of their brethren followed them, snarling with anger. It was not long before the entirety of the area exploded into battle. There was not a second that her, the red mage, and Karu-Manaru were not casting. Left and right Lucille casted defensive spells as well as increasing her comrades attack rate. With a well placed area spell from Karu-Manaru only four were left standing, but they all stood strong. They shrugged off any enfeebling spell that was thrown at them. They held their ground against the feathered demons, Lucille was perfectly capable of healing every wound, but her mana was running low. Suddenly one of them tackled the two galka separating her from their blades. Taking advantage of the defensive hole the yagudo's partner lunged at Lucille. She raised her shield prepared to take the brunt of the assault, but nothing came. The yagudo had burst into flames, and Almenont met its arm with his sword, severing the beast from its weapon. It collapsed to the ground, now a smoking carcass.

"I told you I would protect y-" the tarutaru was cut short as a dual-wielding yagudo appeared from above to greet him with a vicious kick. His head slammed against the wall, and he lay unconscious where he landed. Aria had abandoned the treasures to exchange blows with this new appearance. Everyone was riddled with exhaustion from dodging the templars' attacks. Blood droplets were scattered everywhere as well as a few of her fellow adventurers. A yagudo's blade made a solid connection with Almenont's shoulder. He yelled his rage, grabbing the yagudo's wrist. The beast couldn't dodge him now, his longsword pierced its skull. Lucille had become useless with her mana gone. There were still two beasts left that far out matched them, and they were working at half capacity now. What were they going to do? Yu's thigh gushed blood inhibiting her ability to alleviate anyone's wounds, Lucille had no more mana to give, only the red mage and bard were barely able to keep everyone hanging by a thread.

'This shouldn't have happened. Why did the templars have to be returning at the exact moment we commenced the mission?' The red mage snapped her back from her thoughts, "I'm out!" He parried the ninja yagudo's attack as Aria took a sweep at its legs, only to find a foot in her face. 'No, we can't fail. I have to do something… I have to save them.'

Lucille yelled to the sky, her word echoing through the castle as her eyes glowed white and a shockwave of light passed through the dying ranks, "Benediction!" She slumped against the wall, panting.

Her felled allies regained consciousness, but her own vision was blurring. She struggled to follow as the rejuvenated alliance fled for the safety of the entrance. They made it back through the door; they were almost there. Lucille stumbled slamming into the ground. It didn't even hurt she was so numb.

"Lucille!" Karu-Manaru stopped immediately to turn back for her, "We gotta help Lucille!" Before he made any progress toward her, Almenont lifted him off his feet. Lucille managed to push herself back up to a crawling position. "What are you doing?" Karu-Manaru demanded, "We can't leave her, put me down!"

"She's already dead!" Almenont continued his escape carrying the tarutaru with him. The last she saw was the black mage reaching out for her as he was carried off, he mouthed her name before disappearing into the darkness. Alone, she lifted her hand in their direction, but found she was unable to move forward.

'Is this my reward? Dying alone in this goddess forsaken place? No, I refuse, I'll push harder if I have to.' Her screams of agony were sharp enough to make the yagudo cover their ear drums. The world turned white around her, she smirked to herself, "I did it…" The wind swept canyons took shape around the pathetic thing that was left of her. She hauled herself to her feet, using the surroundings to keep herself up. This didn't last long, she was soon on her knees again. The moment her hands hit the ground, Lucille vomited blood.

It was no use, mortal bodies weren't meant to take such abuse. She stared at the terror reflecting from the red puddle. Her muscles twitched at the effort to support herself. 'There's no point, I'm going to die.' Teardrops disrupted the reflection and then the puddle had spread too thin to see anything.

"I'm not ready to die." The young woman's body collided with the ground, resting in its own crimson essence.


	2. Xynari

Chapter 2: Xynari

Lucille was deep in the darkness of unconsciousness. She couldn't feel anything, her vision was blank, and her acute hearing and sense of smell, for once in her life, not detecting anything. Tip. Tip. Her ear twitched. Was she imagining she could hear now? Tip. Tip. No, it was real, but how could she possibly be hearing it? Colors crept into her sight. The need to gasp arose at what she saw, but there was no energy to perform.

She saw herself dangling over a steel longsword that pinned her through the chest to some mystery object. Blood had streamed from the wound weaving down the orange checkered brigandine and armored leggings dripping off of the figure's right foot. Lucille, reclaiming more of her senses, limped over to herself, and went to take a hold of the sword. The copy's fingers twitched when Lucille had fully gripped the handle, and its head lifted slowly. Deep brown-red eyes stared at her with an eerie emptiness.

"Who are you?" The mithra asked, this person wasn't her. She and this woman were simply dying together.

"Not the last person you'll ever see." Blood misted through the air as Lucille tore the weapon from the woman's torso.

The adventurers paused at the intermediate of the Meriphataud and Sauromugue areas for a moment's reprieve. Aria swept her stray black hairs from her face as she panted. Almenont, carrying Karu-Manaru, was the last to join the rattled alliance. He dropped the enraged tarutaru at the reach of safety. When she went to hug Almenont, she realized the little black mage had been infuriated beyond words.

"Karu-Manaru, don't be so upset," Aria told him, "Sometimes bad things happen and we can't do anything about it. Wait a minute, weren't there eighteen of us?" She counted the ranks again, seventeen.

"There was!" Karu-Manaru let his anger seethe out of him, "She saved us, and you left her there to die!" He glared at Almenont.

Aria was startled by his accusation.

Almenont shouted at him, raising a hand, "She couldn't stand , let alone run. After using herself like that, she would have died before we even made it back to Jeuno. I wasn't going to risk everyone's lives after her sacrifice! If I had let you go back for her the yagudo would have slaughtered both of you!"

"Lucille was young, she would have pulled through in the end. You could have carried her, we're not pawns that you can just toss away the second we become an inconvenience." He fumbled around inside his robe pulling out a blue pearl, "If this is how the linkshell treats people, then I quit!" The object shattered into several tiny pieces as it smashed into the ground. Silence met his words, and a strong wind scattered the pieces across the land. His breathing heaved with his rage, "I promised to protect her, and that's what I'm going to do." He dashed off, back toward Castle Oztroja.

Almenont turned to see grim and disgusted faces behind him. Everyone but Aria continued on to Jeuno, "That's why you were carrying him, wasn't it? To keep him from trying to save Lucille." She covered her mouth with one hand as if she was going to be sick. Tears quivered in the corners of her eyes while she looked at him. He tried to take a hold of her arm, but she pulled away, "She couldn't have been older than twenty, barely an adult, and you left her to die alone in agony."

"It wasn't so cut and dry, Aria, I was trying to protect the group..."

"From what?" she demanded, "I can't do this, I can't even look at you anymore." Aria pushed her way past him chasing after Karu-Manaru.

"Mngh.." her red eyes opened to slits, the world was so bright, and her limbs felt numb. "Where am I?" The realization came crashing down upon her, she had been attacked alongside her clanmates by cowards. The yagudo had stolen her sword from its sheath as their first move. Without any weapon she was quickly defeated and her clanmates had fled for their own lives the moment she was impaled. When her vision came to focus, she didn't understand what she saw. Her sword still protruded from her breast, but she remembered that woman saving her. It had just happened, yet here she was dangling above the ground. "Damn," 'If I remove it, I bleed to death, if I leave it, I bleed to death slowly.' A figure caught her attention, it lay not far from her. 'That's her!' The mithra's eyes were closed and her robes had been soaked through with blood. They looked so similar to each other it was uncanny. They were so close to each other that in a few moments their blood would meet, and when it did the armored mithra pulled the sword from herself, cutting her hands in the process.

Lucille's eyelids tightened before she started to open them.

"You're finally coming around, I see, I will fetch the chieftainess." A light flashed for a moment as the woman who had spoken left. The door was a dangling piece of a soft hide. Where was she? In some kind of hut? There was a long ash colored desk like table cluttered with various beastly remains, crystals, and glass vials. The sheets on the unluxurious bed were an assortment of animal skins, and ragged cloths covered the single window. She covered her eyes as the light flashed once again.

"You've been unconscious for a full day, I was afraid you may never wake up." The woman standing before her was like looking in a mirror. She had added a headdress to her garb. It had been made of carrion crow feathers with two rarab tails dangling by the sides of her face paired with two yagudo feathers each.

"Are we in Windurst?" she guessed based on the construction of the small hut.

"Close but no prey. This is my village between the Sarutabaruta and Tahrongi Canyon areas. Welcome friend, to the Clan of Roaring Skies." She smiled, "I am the chieftainess, Xynari 'Stormdancer' Chanoix."

She forced herself to sit up, "I didn't realize there was a mithra clan settled on the Mindartia continent. My name is Lucille Beiremie."

"Most don't know of us, which is the way it must stay. Its a pleasure to meet you, Lucille."

"Thank you, Chieftainess Chanoix, for rescuing me from certain death, although I'm not sure how you did."

"Please, call me Xynari or Stormdancer. And I did nothing but move you here, the clan Skysinger found no injuries on you to tend. In fact, I believe you were the one to save us both, when I lifted you my wounds were healed. But that's a question for later, right now," she grinned, baring one of her fangs, "I believe we have some catching up to do, dear sister."

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**Author's Note:** Because the tale of separated sisters is totally not a plot point that's been beaten to death...

Anyways, I have actually written about eight more chapters that are complete, but before I embarrass myself by posting them and no one likes the story, I REALLY need at least one person to let me know they like it before I post more. Just anything really... a favorite? a review? a review that's one word: "more"?


	3. Parents

Chapter 3: Parents

"Sister?" Lucille acted stunned.

"Don't pretend, when we were on the brink of death, you did something that linked us, something that complete strangers can't do, unless there's some other path connecting them." she paused for a moment, "And it's creepy, almost like another me who chose a different way of life. However, I've always wanted a sister." She looked her sister over, "How are you feeling?"

"A lot more alive."

"Great! I can show you the clan then!"

Before following her new-found family, Lucille smiled to herself, "I've always wanted a sister too." After rolling out from under the skins she discovered someone had changed her into red separates, loincloth, finger-less gauntlets, and foot wraps. She heaved a sigh at the realization that her robes were most likely completely red now.

Outside, a suspicious mithra in a black hooded cloak stood beside the door. The mithra held a pale hand in front of her chin and bowed.

"Were you the one caring for me?" She nodded, and Lucille mimicked her gesture, "Thank you."

Xynari had just finished assigning orders to two red-headed mithra when Lucille joined her. The two grinned, nodded to their chieftainess, and took off toward the large fire pit that seemed to be the center of the tightly knit community. The sisters watched as one twisted a twig on a log while the other added dried grass to the mix and blew gently.

"That's where we cook the clan meals and perform ceremonies." Lucille allowed her eyes to wander. The village was much smaller than she expected. Only about a dozen or so huts of roughly the same size, besides one, circled the clearing between the mountain walls. About half the amount of mithra milled about with their daily tasks at hand."I live in the one closest to the bonfire, the one with the odd windows is the bath house, and that's the infirmary over there." Xynari pointed to the larger one, near where Lucille had awoken.

"Infirmary? For battle wounds? The way you spoke, I thought the Skysinger was a healer."

The chieftainess shook her head, "A skilled apothecary and spiritually enlightened, but she has no experience with magic. No one does."

"No magic, but why? Modern medicine has become quite advanced, but magic has far surpassed it in efficiency with battle wounds."

"While I have dabbled in magic myself; the entire clan has some aversion to using it themselves. We've been here since mithra migrated to the area, magic seems abnormal, and on top of that no one born here has a natural aptitude for it."

"Without a teacher that would make learning its use quite difficult." Both were awkwardly quiet a moment, not really knowing what to do with their newly discovered relationship.

"What do you think of the clan?" Xynari looked to her.

When Lucille returned the attention, her eyebrows raised a little, "I was expecting there to be more…"

"Once upon a time there was," she sighed, "Every year the clan becomes smaller. Clanmates grow old, fall in love, die, or choose a different path in life. There has only ever been one male born into the clan and very few men found are qualified to join us here. When mother was chieftainess we still-"

"Mother?" She grabbed her sister's arm, "You knew her? Please, you have to tell me!" Lucille was begging with tears in her eyes. A second later she let go, covering her mouth with both hands, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." Came the whisper.

"Don't worry about it. C'mon let's go find somewhere more private."

Xynari had relinquished her headdress once again. They crossed their legs as they settled themselves at the source of the Zanbibi river, East Sarutabaruta's northernmost point. Fish wove their way through the water with shimmering scales.

Focusing on the water, Xynari asked, "I'm guessing you never met our mother."

"I don't even know her name."

"Renha Thunderfang, the fifty-second chieftainess of the clan. She was a great leader, if I could just be half of what she was…" The feline trailed off for a moment but then recollected herself, "And she was flawless in battle, no one matched her skills with a great katana. Her intelligence and foresight was beyond my comprehension and she was so beautiful." Xynari locked eyes with Lucille, "Ya know, you look like her. Well," a fang glinted from her grin, "I do too, but you have her icy eyes. I have our father's eyes," her ears drooped and her gaze drifted back to the river, "at least that's what I was told." The mithra's attention snapped back to her sister suddenly as it hit her, "Wait, did you know him?"

She didn't want to say it, but she wasn't going to start this relationship with a lie, "I'm sorry, there's not much I can tell you."

"Oh," Xynari tried to stay cheery, "That's okay."

Before her sister drew dreary again, Lucille continued, "I do know a few things, just promise me you won't be too disappointed."

"Promise." Her ears pricked a little more than normal.

"You said your last name is Chanoix; that used to be my name too, back when father used to take care of me. I didn't live with him. I lived with his close friends in San d'Oria, but he would always visit for a whole month in the summer and he constantly sent money to pay for anything I needed. Everytime he visited he would tell me how when I was eight, and knew a thing or two about self defense, he would take me home with him. But then," she paused, "the letters and money stopped coming, and when summer came, he didn't come with it. The last time I ever saw him I was six; I've forgotten what he looks like and who he was as a person." Her expression had changed to a heart wrenched sorrow as she told the story. Lucille smiled though, when she closed her eyes, with her face to the sky, "But I do remember his smile; it was warm, caring, and patient. The kind of smile a parent gives their child when they truly love them more than anything else in the world."

When she opened her eyes again, Xynari was gazing at her with sparkling eyes while she clutched her knees, "I remember mom having that same smile. Thank you for telling me."

"I'm sorry I don't have more to tell you and I don't really know what happened to the letters he sent me."

She shook her head, "It's more than I ever thought I would know about him. It's enough to know he cared about us, even if we weren't one big happy family." She nibbled on her bottom lip a little as she thought.

The action made Lucille ask, "Is something bothering you?"

"Huh?" Xynari had been so lost, she heard but couldn't process what had been said.

"I chew on my lip like that when I can't get something out of my head. Sorry, I just assumed it was the same for you."

"Oh," she appeared a little surprised by their similarities beyond appearance, "You're right actually. I was just trying to figure out why… well, why everything. I was never told I had a sister, and mother always seemed so sad when I asked about father; they must have been in love, so why be so far apart?" She shook her head as if trying to dismiss the thoughts, "Well, its not like we'll ever know."

"Probably not, but I'm sure it was important. I can feel it."

"Me too," Xynari cracked another smile and nudged Lucille's shoulder with a 'soft' punch, "We better start talking about ourselves or we'll never make up for the last seventeen years, so Lucille Beiremie, what brought you to Tahrongi?"

It was Lucille's turn to droop her ears, "I was on assignment with some of my fellow linkshell members…" she opened a pouch on her belt to pull out a small blue pearl, "but we were caught by some returning templars, the blood on them was still fresh, and it didn't end very well."

She found her sister to be listening to her story very intently; she seemed to be sneering at the very thought of a yagudo, "I think we might just have a common enemy. They were most likely the same ones who ambushed my clan in the canyon the same day. Are your linkmates okay?"

"I used myself to save them, and they were able to flee. That's why I was in such a horrible condition when you found me. Wherever they are, I'm sure they're fine."

"That's good, so, what's the name? I'm sure they're worried sick about you. We should probably get you back as soon as you're ready."

Lucille held out her hand with the pearl sitting in her palm and her knees to her chest, "It doesn't matter, it's not my linkshell anymore." Light compressed the pearl on all sides, crushing it into dust. A few tears began to escape from her as she tipped her hand to pour the blue dust beside the river bank, "They left me there to die all alone," her tears turned into ungracious sobs, "...I thought they were my friends."

"Lucille…" it was like she could feel her pain. Xynari hesitated a moment with her hand midway between herself and Lucille before hugging her.


End file.
